1 Week to 1 Month Challenge: Attempt 1
by Angel SongBird
Summary: I'm attempting my challenge. I was hoping to leave the anime ambiguous and let you guys figure it out, but oh well. If you read it, you'll know which character is my favorite and who I'm visiting despite me never actually meeting them yet, but it won't be hard to guess, I promise ;). Rated T for blood, but they don't swear.
1. The Reason for the Meeting

I was very certain I was going to die. My attacker was not human. It had killed everyone and now it was moving toward me, toward my hiding place under the table. I didn't shiver or scream or beg for my mercy, I simply stared upward at my enormous executioner.

I thought about praying, halfheartedly hoping it would cause the beast to die, but I was frozen in place, even my lungs seemed to have stopped moving.

And then a shot rang out. The creature reared backward and leapt into the air, vanishing into the night. The shadows hid me from whomever had rescued me. The light from the doorway silhouetted a police officer. If the police took me into Scotland Yard, they'd interrogate me. If I told the truth, I'd end up in a loony bin…if I lied I'd live in fear of that monster forever. I had a feeling it would come back for me, it had seen me, looked me in the eyes, and now I would have to die to reassure my silence.

Gathering my petticoats with one hand and pulling a black cloak tighter around my small frame, I slipped through the back door and ran down the street. My shoes stung my feet and my whole being reeked of blood. My dress had been cyan when this night started and now it seemed like I was seeing everything inverted as my dress was now a violent scarlet.

Someone grabbed my arm, and I spun, terrified my attacker had followed me. But a police officer was the owner of this hand, and he was eying me carefully, "Ma'am, there had been a mass murder a block away and you're running in the opposite direction in a blood stained dress. I'm sorry but we'll have to take you into custody."

I was in a stupor of fear, but I gave in and let him bring me to Scotland Yard. I don't recall the journey, but soon I was seated in an office, a blanket wrapped around my shoulders. An officer sat down in front of me and handed me a cup of tea, "Well the officer who came across the murder says you can't be the one responsible because you're much too small to be the person he saw." He chuckled but it dried up in his throat as I burst into tears.

_It wasn't a person_, but I couldn't say that to them, even if they did write it off as the shock talking.

"But miss, it is of great importance that you tell us what you witnessed." His voice was reassuring. I'm not a fool though.

I could have told them the basics, that I was Duchess Maire Mary Margaret McManamon, daughter of a clan chieftain in Ireland who was good friends with Prince Edward VII, and thus given title of Duke of Leinster via this connection. I have spent much time with Queen Victoria and her family and I had visited her in London and then gone to a party I'd been invited too. But it went horribly wrong. I was visiting London alone (except for my servants of course) and staying in my family's summer home here…

There was a commotion outside and then the door to the office opened and someone entered. The officer interrogating me jumped up, "This is our case and you have no right to come barging in here!"


	2. The Meeting

"The queen sent me." The voice was that of a young boy. He walked over to me and I looked up. It was an adorable little kid, big blue eyes and his hair reminded me of my elder brother back in Ireland. He handed me a handkerchief and I wiped away my tears, but he spoke to the officer, "The queen has asked me to take over this case, so I will take be taking the witness." The boy looked over him with a smug look, "Anyway, I doubt you will get anything out of her in this state."

He offered me his hand and I accepted, standing up and shrugging off the blanket, my cloak was enough. His carriage was out front and a butler helped me in. It was an odd for a butler to do, you'd expect the carriage boy to do such a task. I settled down, too exhausted from my trying experience to delve more into that little oddity. The boy sat across from me.

"Duchess Mary Margaret, you are not really in shock are you?"

I smiled pleasantly and wiped away my false tears, "You know my name, it is not very gentleman like to not introduce yourself."

"Of course, my deepest apologies. I am Earl Ciel Phantomhive."

"The Queen's guard dog." I nodded, aware of his status if only by here-say, "And to what do I owe the pleasure of making your acquaintance?"

"The murderer was not a human." He must have noticed the surprise I was unable to hide despite years of training, because he nodded, confirming this statement.

I let my face become impassive, "And the queen knows this too and sent you to deal with it?"

"Indeed."

"But she assumes I need protection from whatever killed all my companions." My hand clutched my cloak, the memories of the creature causing my composure to crack, letting my thoughts be seen as easy as daylight. It is my greatest flaw, according to my elder brother who doesn't even show emotion when it's just the family. "It will hunt me down? It was not a random killing?"

His silence confirmed my fear. I am not a person who cries over imminent death, not even my own, so I took a few deep breaths to steady my mental state before continuing, "And how are you going to protect me from that thing?"

"I have my ways." His smile was brief and cold. How long would I have to spend with this creepy child? The door to the carriage opened and the butler helped us out. The estate was pleasant and beautiful, definitely outside of London. The butler turned to me, "Mey Rin will take you to your room; your luggage has already been brought there."

"Thank you." I curtsied to him and then turned to the maid who had appeared and followed her up the large staircase. I really do hate mess, and blood stains are much too hard to get out, so I would definitely be throwing this dress away. It really is a shame though, it was my favorite colour.

"Here's your room, Miss." Mey Rin opened the door, letting me in and then followed me inside. She helped me change out of my ruined dress and put my long hair back up in a presentable braid, the whole time chatting away about how lovely my dress was and what a shame it was that it had gotten all dirty. I gave the appropriate commentary back, as I had been taught. When I was fully changed into a less extravagant but still regal dress, I smiled politely at the maid, "Thank you for helping me get changed, you can leave now, I am sorry to have had to trouble you."

She skittered away, but I waited until I was sure I was alone before walking to the window. And then out of habit, I lifted a small pendant out of the neckline of my dress and straightened the necklace over my bodice. The black raven had often been considered much too dark for a girl to wear but it was my family's crest creature, so I felt a fondness toward the bird.


	3. What Do You Remember?

The door opened and I turned to send whatever servant it was away, but it was the butler, "Sorry to disturb you, but the Master wants to question you about what you saw."

"And we have to do this now?" I tried to hide my annoyance, it had been more than 30 hours since I last slept and I was ready to collapse.

"I am very sorry, but he insists."

I refrained from groaning and gave a polite smile, giving in and followed him to where the Earl waited in a room with a small table with a chess game set up on it and two armchairs on either side. Taking the seat across from him, I straightened out my skirts and clasped my hand on my lap.

"You called to interrogate me?"

"Yes." He sipped some tea, "Can you describe what you saw?"

I think better when I am moving, so I stood up and began to pace, my skirts rustling and somewhat distracting me from trying to remember, but thankfully we do not forget near death experiences quickly, so I recalled it in a few moments. "It was much taller than a human, but that could have been my angle - I was under a table - and it had claw like hands, how else could it have ripped through people so easily?" I paused, staring at my host but not really seeing him, "I do not know what colour it was, or what it was. It looked parts animal, parts human." I blinked, returning to reality, "The parts changed...it looked human sometimes, but there was something wrong with it. Sometimes it looked like a bug. I dare say I can recall what kind of bug, it took so many different features. And that is all I remember of my attacker."

My host and his butler were silent, so I moved to the door, "If that is all, I will be retiring to my room, retrieve me for breakfast." I nodded respectfully and then slipped out.

Thankfully I managed to find my way downstairs and one of the servants helped me find my way to my room. I somehow got my dress and corset off without any assistance and climb into the bed, wrapping myself in the blankets and falling asleep.

_My dress is caked with blood, my heart races. The people from the party prior are cut down like wheat and their blood is what pools across the floor, soaking my skirts. Maybe the creature didn't see me, maybe it will leave, but then it's in front of me._

_"I am here to take your soul." A warm and endearing male voice whispers. A hand reaches toward me, no longer a bug. My eyes widen in fear, the vision fades and I'm standing in the middle of a desert on a moonless night. My fingers clutch something and I lift it close to my face, hoping to see. My pendant, cracked in half. Something rises from the sand._

The sheets are wrapped too tightly around me and I shove them away, clutching my pillow to me in sheer terror. My dream still holds my heart, I still feel in danger, but as the noon light drifts through the curtains I forgot to close, the dream loses its clutch and I am in reality. My pendant is still on my bedside table, still intact. But the dream makes my memories hazy, did the creature speak to me? It felt like it had happened before in the dream, like re-watching the memory. Why didn't I remember what it said?


	4. A Strange Mark

I was awoken for breakfast by the maid the next morning. She helped me into my clothes as I did my own hair. For a maid, she had a good deal of trouble assisting me. I suppose when you work in a household with just a young lord there is no time to learn how to strap a corset up correctly or style a lady's hair for her. Not that it matter, my thoughts were focused on my memory-dream.

"Oh, milady, what is this?" Her voice startled me and I dropped my brush. She apologized and retrieved it for me, but she pointed to something on my hip, "Is it some kind of symbol?"

I placed my brush down and then twisted to look at whatever she was referring to, which happened to be a purple circular design on my hip, just poking out from under the top of my hoopskirt. I slid the waist down a bit to see the whole mark, but I had no memory of any mark on my hip before.

"Yes, it's a Celtic good luck symbol." I lied, hoping she wouldn't press for details. The mark seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd seen it before.

She nodded and went about tightening my corset and I returned my attention to putting up my hair. There was no one I could really ask about the mark without sounding insane. But the whole ordeal was starting to make me rather uneasy, a murderer was one thing, but mysterious symbols? Symbols were usually signs of something satanic, and if anyone in Ireland saw it I would probably have been made a pariah for consulting with a demon - what other explanation was there for it?

Ciel was already at the breakfast table when I entered, and I curtsied, bidding him good morning, before taking a seat beside him. His scarce amount of servants stood about while he quietly ate, but I could not bring myself to eat after my dream last night.

"Lord Phantomhive, I recalled something last night about the murderer."

"Yes? What did you remember?"

"Well, I can not say why I did not remember this earlier, but it said something to me, and I am rather certain the killer was male." I tried to keep my hands from clenching in my skirt, so I folded them in front of me, "He said something about taking my soul." Somehow I managed to keep my voice from shaking.

Immediately I noticed my host stiffen, as well as his all-purpose butler. If this seemed to mean something to them...then maybe I could tell them about the odd marking on my hip. I couldn't risk it though. At best, I would be excommunicated from the Catholic Church, at worst I would be killed for being a witch. There were still people who did seemingly old fashion things in Ireland, mostly for the worst - like witch hunting.

"Did you notice anything else?" Ciel's voice had an urgency to it.

I shook my head, deciding to keep the other changes a secret, "No, I am sorry, but that is all."

He didn't even look at his butler, "Sebastian, we will be taking a trip to London."

"Of course, my lord." Sebastian bowed, "Will we be taking the Duchess with us?"

Ciel thought this over briefly, "Yes, it would be best if we kept an eye on her." He then directed his attention at me, "We will stay in my London home, and Sebastian will pack your things."

I nodded graciously, "Then is it alright if one of my own servants joined us there? I would be extremely grateful." I was in need of a servant to help me dress and who knew how to care for my needs specifically.


End file.
